Highlander’s Sinister Bet: Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance

by Fiona Faris

  Daividh nodded. “How is it that ye understand the plants so well?”

  “Years of learning from those better than I.”

  “But surely that is nae all.” Daividh knew that she was downplaying herself in all this.

  “Some would say I have the talent,” she took her hands out of the water and grinned at him, “but I believe that I simply have the talent to learn. A talent tae learn without learnin’ would amount in naught, would it nae?”

  “Aye.” He nodded. “Can I ask ye somethin’?”

  “Aye.” She moved away from him and sat on the rock closest to the lake. Rather than sit opposite her as she had expected, Daividh sat beside her.

  “When ye heard me speak tae Glenn, did I make ye feel like our friendship meant naught to me?” he asked her.

  “Aye,” she said, “Ye did.”

  “Ye dae nae want my apology but I must offer it again,” he said, hoping she would take it this time. “I was being a silly man to boast of yer attentions,” he said. “Forgive me. I have fought battles in the coldest of weathers but even the bite of the frost of ice does nae compare to the bite of the frost of yer anger. Whatever we speak of will stay between us henceforth. Ye have me word. I spoke naught of yer da tae him.” Daividh looked into her brown eyes. He wondered if she would accept his apology.

  “Aye, then. Ye are forgiven,” Lorraine said at last, “I will nae be in a hurry tae tell ye things, though.”

  “’Tis fair,” he nodded, “I shall prove that I am worthy of yer trust.”

  “Aye, then.” She smiled and looked away.

  “If ’twill make ye feel any better. I only spoke of ye tae Glenn.”

  “The man that was here with ye today?”

  “Aye.” He nodded. “Glenn is my right hand man. We grew together and I trust him with me life. We were friends from boyhood. If there is a man I trust with my life, it would be him.” He was careful how much he told her of Glenn. He didn’t want her to have any inkling of the bet. The bet! The thought came to him swiftly. He had forgotten about the bet. He had less than three weeks to make it happen. With an inward groan, he continued to speak. “Glenn was of the opinion that ye wouldnae give me the time of the day. ’Twas nice tae prove him wrong. I exaggerated a little but it insulted ye and I am sorry.”

  Lorraine nodded. “I dae nae ken why Glenn would doubt that I would like tae be friends with ye.” She was only too happy to erase any memories of the conversation he had had with Glenn. “Ye are nae too bad when ye are nae being’ overbearing’,” she said with a grin, “But perhaps he sees ye overbearin’ all the time and is sick of ye so he assumes everyone would be too.”

  “I’m glad this amuses you,” he said coolly, but there was a twinkle in his eyes.

  Loraine giggled and looked away into the lake. It gave Daividh enough room to stare at her without being found out.

  “I heard that ye rode side by side with him at the parade.”

  “Ye heard? Ye were nae present?”

  “Nay,” she said with a look of guilt. “I was still vexed with ye. I didnae want tae see hundreds or thousands paying ye homage,” she said with a grin.

  “I see,” Daividh nodded. “Well, ye heard right. Glenn deserved a spot beside me and not behind me,” he told her. “It looked much better in my opinion,” he added with a lazy stretch. He liked how close he was to her. If he moved just a little to his right, their shoulders would touch.

  “I daenae doubt that,” she agreed.

  “Ye should have been there tae see it,” he said with a shrug, and then with a brief thought, he shifted so that their shoulders touched.

  Daividh stole a glance at her and grinned to himself at her slight blush.

  “I wish I had been there. Perhaps I would have gotten the true account of ye being a savior meself.”

  He looked at her with a lazy grin. “Whatever dae ye mean?”

  Lorraine grinned at him. “According tae the word, ye were a hero.” She stood up from the rock and turned to face with him with a playful glint he hadn’t seen before in her eyes.

  “I heard that our Laird Daividh was riding into the town on the finest horse ye ever did see.” She took three dainty steps away from him and clasped her hands together in a beautiful dance. Even with her breeches, she was a sight to see. Daividh imagined her in a dress and decided that she would be an even more beautiful woman than she was.

  “Laird Daividh saw a woman during all festivities,” she turned to him and smiled. “They say that other lairds would have been too busy with the praises bein’ thrown at them but nae Laird Daividh. They say he noticed an ugly brute strike a hand at the poor woman. Quick as lightning, Laird Daividh drove his horse into the man. The man flew hundred feet into the air and just as he fell, Laird Daividh dashed from his horse and-”

  Daividh stood from his seat and took her by the arms, relishing the laughter in her eyes. “Alright, alright, enough of the fairytales. It was naught like that.”

  Lorraine laughed. “How was it then?”

  “I noticed the man hittin’ her so I got down and put the man away. Then I asked her to be treated,” he said with a lazy smile and light shrug, downplaying the whole incident.

  “Really?” She crossed her arms. “Ye did nae order to have him put in the dog cage and he is nae chained in the town square?” she arched a brow.

  “Little details that matter nae.” The praise made him slightly uncomfortable.

  “Dae ye ken what I think, milord?”

  “Nay.”

  “I think that ye are a good man beneath yer annoyin’ demeanor.”

  “Yer words wound me,” he said in a dry voice, but pulled her closer to him.

  The breeze lifted the few strands of hair that had managed to escape the tight grasp of her bun.

  Lorraine laughed and the breeze carried her soft laughter.

  Daividh looked into her eyes and for a moment, the rest of the word melted out.

  “Ye are a very pretty woman, Lorraine,” he said, “but that is the least of it. Yer insides are even more beautiful and that is a feat among women blessed with yer looks.” Daividh said, meaning every word.

  Lorraine blushed heavily but didn’t look away. “Ye flatter me,” she whispered.

  “Nay,” he shook his head, “I dae nae.”

  He placed his hand on her waist and pulled her slightly to him. Her brown eyes shone deliciously in the sun light. He was going to kiss her, he decided. He could not not kiss her. Her lips seemed to pull his to hers and they were helpless to stop the pull.

  Slowly, they closed the distance between their lips and just before their lips touched, he paused and smiled – she wanted him too.

  The whistling sound from his left was sudden. He heard it but was too late – much too late. He managed to take Lorraine completely in his arms just before the arrow was lodged in his left arm.

  Chapter Eleven

  It all happened too fast – much too fast for Lorraine to realize what was going on. When she did, Daividh already had an arrow lodged in his shoulder and was crouched over her, protecting her.

  Lorraine’s heart beat faster. It would be all too easy for the shooter to hit a second time.

  “We have to leave,” she whispered harshly to Daividh.

  “Nay, ’tis too dangerous,” he said, and he was right, “Nae an arrow will touch ye. My body will shield ye.”

  Lorraine’s heart clenched at his words. Yes, indeed he had her shielded from any possible attacks. His large body covered her crouched frame. Lorraine realized that under a different scenario, a blush would have filled her cheeks at being pressed so close to Daividh. However, at that moment, all she felt was terror – pure terror.

  “Daividh,” she whispered, using his name for the first time, “we must leave. There are caves to the left of the loch. We will be safe there.”

  Lorraine looked up at him and after a moment of staring, he nodded.

  With one last look at her, he whispered harshly, “Go
! Go!”

  The pair stood up and began to run. Not too far behind them, they heard someone chasing them. Lorraine did not dare to look back but she knew Daividh heard them, too. Lorraine felt her breathing grow heavier. The steps grew closer and she knew they were not Daividh’s.

  “We run in zigzags,” she whispered without looking back. Even if the shooter stopped to shoot, it would be terribly hard to make a good aim.

  With only few steps to reach the caves, Lorraine and Daividh ran in unmeasured steps and pushed as fast as they could into the cave. Lorraine jumped into the cave with Daividh closely behind her just as just as an arrow flew above their heads.

  Daividh cursed fluently for minutes and Lorraine felt her ear would fall out. By the time it came to him that there was a lady present, it only angered him more.

  “What sort of a coward shoots with a woman present?” he fumed.

  Lorraine watched him in silence and then sighed. “Come on, let’s move to safety.”

  The entrance to the cave was narrow, leaving the insides protected from attack from someone on the outside. However, this also meant that the light supplied to the cave was minimal.

  “Sit,” Lorraine directed him to a rock.

  Daividh sat heavily and for the first time, Lorraine got a good look at the arrow wound. She reached to her breeches and undid a small, hidden breech sack that she carried.

  “Ye carry that everywhere with ye?” he asked in awe.

  “Aye,” she nodded. “Injuries do nae inform before they occur. Although this was nae random hit,” she murmured as she examined the wound.

  Daividh said nothing.

  “Ye are lucky,” she said to him after a while, “Yer speed saved ye, saved us. The arrow was meant for yer back.”

  “We have ye to thank too. I didnae want to leave there with ye for fear of the arrow getting to ye.”

  “I am nae a weak female that ye must protect and forsake yerself,” she scolded.

  Daividh looked at her with a small smile in his eyes. He had realized that. “Aye, ye are nae.”

  “Tis a flesh wound. Once more, ye are lucky.”

  “Luck has nae always been on me side. Perhaps ye are me good luck charm.”

  “Do nae be silly,” she said, eyes still fixed on the arrow in his arms. If she had been close enough to Daividh, he would have seen the small blush forming on her face.

  “I am going to pull it out,” she told him, “‘Tis nae so deep and that is yer luck.”

  “Aye,” he nodded.

  “Shall we count down?”

  “If ye wish,” he shrugged.

  “Do nae move yer arm so much,” she scolded. Didn’t the man feel pain?

  “Three, two, one.” She took a firm hold of the arrow and yanked it out of his arm but Daividh didn’t even flinch.

  Quickly, she discarded the arrow and examined the wound. Indeed, he had been lucky. She reached into her sack for some cleaning rags and ointment to clean the wound. Then with the rest of her clothes, she bandaged it firmly.

  “Ye did nae even flinch,” she said to him, “Do ye nae even feel pain?”

  “I see that were looking to take delight in my screams of pain.”

  “Only a little,” she teased.

  “Sorry to disappoint ye. Perhaps next time, I shall scream dramatically.”

  “There should be no next time.”

  “There may be. I am to be laird of this clan. My enemies are many. This arrow wound is only a smattering of what soldiers like meself endure on the battle field. ’Tis the life ye lead when ye are chosen to lead people.”

  Lorraine felt her heart clench in her chest. How could she explain that she suddenly wished she were a warrior stronger than he was so she could protect him.

  “I do nae want ye hurt again,” she whispered to him.

  Daividh made a fist and examined his hand. “Then ye must understand why I must leave now and scout the area. Whoever the bastard was, he endangered ye. That is a thin’ that I will nae take lightly.”

  Lorraine grabbed his other hand. “Ye will do nae such thin’. What if they are more than one, more than two. I saw ye beat two men easily and I ken that ye would fight four just as well but ye have an injured hand and ye are nae with yer sword.” Lorraine wondered why he would refuse to listen to her.

  Daividh stood up and reached into a hidden sheath and produced a dagger. “Aye, but I have me fists and me dagger. I will nae be hurt.”

  Lorraine looked at him as though he spoke Greek. “Ye are nae invincible. How would ye cope if ye are attacked in yer injured arm?”

  “A wounded lion is more dangerous, Lorraine,” he said coolly, “He fights for his life and not for the life of the one he battles.”

  Lorraine had had enough of his words. She drew herself to all of her five-feet and six inches and faced Daividh but her head barely came to his torso. “Why are ye so pigheaded?”

  There was a flash in his eyes and before she could react, he put her up against a wall gently. However, his words held fire to them. “Nay, ye do nae understand. I brought ye here under me protection. Safety was yer right as ye were in my presence. Even the aliens run to us for protection, yet someone dared to put ye in danger. I was neither ill nor sick and someone dared to challenge me that way. What would I have done if the arrow had hit ye, Lorraine? Tell me?” There was a pain in his eyes and in that moment, Lorraine knew that she would never doubt, never in her life, that in the very least, Daividh cared for her.

  Lorraine put a hand to his uninjured shoulder and paused. “I will teach ye how to treat a wound if ye want.”

  “Medicine after death,” he looked towards the door.

  Lorraine reached up to him and turned his face to hers. His short whiskers tickled her hands lightly. “But I am alright now. Please do nae go. I couldnae take it. I would kill meself with worry.” She dropped her hands, shyly.

  But Daividh said nothing and so, she pressed further. “Please, milord.”

  “Daividh. Ye called me Daividh before. I do nae want ye to call me anythin’ else.”

  “’Tis a tough thin’ ye request from me,” she said. There was a little tease to her voice and her breathing had grown heavier.

  “Aye?”

  “Perhaps, if ye promise me to stay, we could make a deal.”

  There was a pause but then he smiled and Lorraine knew he would stay.

  A head peeped into the cave and turned around. “In here!” he shouted to whoever he was speaking to, “they are in here.”

  Daividh reached for his dagger and pushed Lorraine behind him, holding her in place. However, Glenn and a group of boys rushed into the cave.

  Daividh relaxed upon seeing his friends and released Lorraine from his grasp.

  “’Tis good to see ye,” Glenn said and embraced his friend.

  “How did ye find me?”

  “I went down to the loch to find ye. I had some important news for ye but ye were nae there. Instead, there were drops of blood on the ground. Yer horses were alone there too. I traced yer footsteps and it became obvious that ye had run. Terror filled me. Mayhap ye should nae go out alone, henceforth.”

  “Nae. I should nae step out without me sword,” Daividh corrected.

  Glenn shook his head and looked to Lorraine and smiled.

  “I needn’t have worried. Seems ye managed just fine.”

  “Aye, she helped me bandage the arrow wound.”

  “Ye were hurt by an arrow?” Glenn asked then turned to the boys. “Scout the area.”

  Only too happy to work for their Laird, the boys rushed to do Glenn’s bidding.

  In a lower voice, Glenn turned to him and said, “Show me.”

  Daividh showed his friend the wound while Lorraine watched in silence.

  She watched Glenn look up to Daividh with a question in his eyes but Daividh shook his head; no.

  Glenn turned to Lorraine. “Thank ye for being here with him.”

  “He was here with me too,” she said with a
small smile.

  “Our first meeting was naught to speak about. I offer my apologies.”

  “I have forgiven ye.” She looked to Daividh. “Both of ye.”